Yep.. I've owned a grip of full sized phones.. HD600 (twice).. the entire HE-x00 (HE-500 twice).. LCD-2.. HD800.. a couple of the better "mid-fi" Beyers (880/600 & the T90).. even the Koss ESP-950 (which I loved.. and still regret returning.. but the 650 softened the blow of that dumb decision).. lots of buying and selling (check my feedback! LOL).. but I don't think I kept any of those phones for more than seven or eight months (HD800 included.. but I still do love that beast). I've had the HD650 for six plus months and while I plan to buy a planar this year.. there's literally nothing out there that would make me move the HD650 at this point... and I'm in NO rush to get that planar. As Jamie mentioned, the Crack's 'vintage' look makes for an excellent conversation piece and I've yet to have one (non-audiophile) person hear them and not be thoroughly blown away.

Obviously, headphones make the biggest difference in a rig.. but for me, the Crack made me appreciate and enjoy the HD650 more than ever.. the key word there isENJOY. I forget about technical ability.. distortion specs.. driver speed.. etc etc.. The combo delivers to me something I and many others have desperately sought in this (expensive) hobby:contentment. I'm more content with the Crack/650 than I have been with any other phone/amp combo (I've owned) to date. I've heard better phones.. I've heard more capable amps.. but the HD650/Crack deliver a certain degree of sustained enjoyment I just haven't experienced (w/o spending significantly more to get).

Contentment is exactly what I'm after. I really think I'm also on the verge with the HD650 and if the Crack will help me achieve that then I'll probably go that route. I really love the way the crack looks and some of the ones I've seen look downright amazing. Plus it's not as expensive as some of the other amps I've been researching. The Woo amps look amazing as well but it's really hard to ignore all the positive comments the Crack/650 has around here.

Yep.. I've owned a grip of full sized phones.. HD600 (twice).. the entire HE-x00 (HE-500 twice).. LCD-2.. HD800.. a couple of the better "mid-fi" Beyers (880/600 & the T90).. even the Koss ESP-950 (which I loved.. and still regret returning.. but the 650 softened the blow of that dumb decision).. lots of buying and selling (check my feedback! LOL).. but I don't think I kept any of those phones for more than seven or eight months (HD800 included.. but I still do love that beast). I've had the HD650 for six plus months and while I plan to buy a planar this year.. there's literally nothing out there that would make me move the HD650 at this point... and I'm in NO rush to get that planar. As Jamie mentioned, the Crack's 'vintage' look makes for an excellent conversation piece and I've yet to have one (non-audiophile) person hear them and not be thoroughly blown away.

Obviously, headphones make the biggest difference in a rig.. but for me, the Crack made me appreciate and enjoy the HD650 more than ever.. the key word there isENJOY. I forget about technical ability.. distortion specs.. driver speed.. etc etc.. The combo delivers to me something I and many others have desperately sought in this (expensive) hobby:contentment. I'm more content with the Crack/650 than I have been with any other phone/amp combo (I've owned) to date. I've heard better phones.. I've heard more capable amps.. but the HD650/Crack deliver a certain degree of sustained enjoyment I just haven't experienced (w/o spending significantly more to get).

I still hang on to my HD650s for the day that I get a good tube amp to drive them with. The memories of my HD650 driven by the Cayin HA-1A is still fresh on my mind...there was a combo to that which I have not been able to achieve anyway else. That's when music was the only thing that mattered and technicalities played no part in how fantastic that combo sounded to me.

When people report that the HD650 with a certain tube amp becomes Summit-Fi questioning...I totally believe them. I might go the transformer coupled route though as I want my Grado HF2 to be tube driven also...heck I want ALL my cans to be tube driven.

I'm trying all my Hybrids to no avail...only a powerful full tube drive can blow open the HD650s midrange like I remebered them to be...very spacious and a massive soundstage...K701 rivalling...totally achievable.

Contentment is exactly what I'm after. I really think I'm also on the verge with the HD650 and if the Crack will help me achieve that then I'll probably go that route. I really love the way the crack looks and some of the ones I've seen look downright amazing. Plus it's not as expensive as some of the other amps I've been researching. The Woo amps look amazing as well but it's really hard to ignore all the positive comments the Crack/650 has around here.

The lyr has been one of my favorite amps for the past two years. It drives tough to power hp's with aplomb. And even at lower volumes, you'll still have good dynamics. But even the stock crack with no speedball installed or upgraded tubes was more enjoyable for me than the lyr. There is simply an emotional connection to the music that is evoked by the combination of the 650/crack that is seductive and addictive.

You'll get great advice and not so great advice here. Mainly because no one can no all your preferences and nuances that make up your perfect musical experiences. I was put off from the hd650 for at least two years because of negative reviews. I can say the same thing about the Crack. I'm glad that there are other members here who helped me look past the negativity and try both the 650 and crack. Rushnerd loaned me the 650 (he has long since stopped being active here). And a local member loaned me his stock crack for a week. I try to pass on the kindness to helps others out whenever I can. It's those kind of gestures that really make this community what it is.

The lyr has been one of my favorite amps for the past two years. It drives tough to power hp's with aplomb. And even at lower volumes, you'll still have good dynamics. But even the stock crack with no speedball installed or upgraded tubes was more enjoyable for me than the lyr. There is simply an emotional connection to the music that is evoked by the combination of the 650/crack that is seductive and addictive.

You'll get great advice and not so great advice here. Mainly because no one can no all your preferences and nuances that make up your perfect musical experiences. I was put off from the hd650 for at least two years because of negative reviews. I can say the same thing about the Crack. I'm glad that there are other members here who helped me look past the negativity and try both the 650 and crack. Rushnerd loaned me the 650 (he has long since stopped being active here). And a local member loaned me his stock crack for a week. I try to pass on the kindness to helps others out whenever I can. It's those kind of gestures that really make this community what it is.

I still hang on to my HD650s for the day that I get a good tube amp to drive them with. The memories of my HD650 driven by the Cayin HA-1A is still fresh on my mind...there was a combo to that which I have not been able to achieve anyway else. That's when music was the only thing that mattered and technicalities played no part in how fantastic that combo sounded to me.

When people report that the HD650 with a certain tube amp becomes Summit-Fi questioning...I totally believe them. I might go the transformer coupled route though as I want my Grado HF2 to be tube driven also...heck I want ALL my cans to be tube driven.

I'm trying all my Hybrids to no avail...only a powerful full tube drive can blow open the HD650s midrange like I remebered them to be...very spacious and a massive soundstage...K701 rivalling...totally achievable.

I have an HD650 with silver cable that I usually listen to with a Woo 6. Very nice pairing, warm with lots of air. It is the only setup I use for classical. The W6 also drives my Mad Dogs decently, but not quite as well as my vintage Sansui 881 receiver. I think the Mad Dog orthos need more juice.

I have an HD650 with silver cable that I usually listen to with a Woo 6. Very nice pairing, warm with lots of air. It is the only setup I use for classical. The W6 also drives my Mad Dogs decently, but not quite as well as my vintage Sansui 881 receiver. I think the Mad Dog orthos need more juice.

why does everyone always mention their cable being made out of silver?

silver is only like 8% more conductive than copper, and considering how freakin' expensive it is, I doubt the cables are 100% silver. which means even if the cable is 50% silver, which i really doubt, that means it's only 4% more conductive than copper for a HUGE price premium.

the only things I can think of that a cable could improve, is to add shielding from noise, and keep capacitance down. but silver as the conductor? snake-oil!

but back on the subject: are there any non-gimmick regular cables for the hd650 out there that aren't 10ft long like the ones it comes with? I'm tired of having ten miles of cable on my desk.

why does everyone always mention their cable being made out of silver?

silver is only like 8% more conductive than copper, and considering how freakin' expensive it is, I doubt the cables are 100% silver. which means even if the cable is 50% silver, which i really doubt, that means it's only 4% more conductive than copper for a HUGE price premium.

the only things I can think of that a cable could improve, is to add shielding from noise, and keep capacitance down. but silver as the conductor? snake-oil!

but back on the subject: are there any non-gimmick regular cables for the hd650 out there that aren't 10ft long like the ones it comes with? I'm tired of having ten miles of cable on my desk.

Best way would be to cut it down and add your own choice of connector (DIY and soldering, irreversible), or to do a single strand braid (fidgety but reversible):

Or look in the for sale here under cable there have been many HD 650 cables for sale. I just bought one yesterday Moon Cable Dragon V2 10 Ft for $130. Sure that is still a lot of money but it's way under retail cost, if you get it and end up not liking it just relist it on here, it will sell, we're all addicts after all and someone like myself will come along and be curious and want to try one for a reasonable price too. I've been reading here for like a decade now. And I finally after all that time or more bought items from the marketplace here because a person can only remain curious for so long before they have to at least tip their toe in the water.

And of right now that toe has cost me HD 650- $325, Momentums over ear $227 and $130 for Dragon cable. And I'm ok with those prices to finally get answer to just how good my 20 year old HD 560 Ovation II's are compared to newer HP's. Now I know, they hold their own big time and after now just having ear pads replaced with new original ones man they are back in balance big time and sound amazing.

I'm trying all my Hybrids to no avail...only a powerful full tube drive can blow open the HD650s midrange like I remebered them to be...very spacious and a massive soundstage...K701 rivalling...totally achievable.

That's largely been my experience, as well.. The only (recent) hybrid I've really liked with the HD650 was the Vali (and there's many who didn't like that combo)... with a very good DAC. I had the Project Ember and while it was an excellent amp (I rolled some very nice Amperex PQ 6DJ8 tubes, too).. I found it a little too aggressive for the 650 (metal fans would enjoy this combo, I think!).

In other news.. I've been rolling my 12BH7s into the Crack and goodness.. what a combo. Generally speaking, they're less laid back than most of the 12AU7s I have.. and technically speaking, the 12BH7s are superior in nearly every respect. The 650's simply love the Tungsram E80CC and CBS-Hytron 12BH7s I'm using right now!

I have an HD650 with silver cable that I usually listen to with a Woo 6. Very nice pairing, warm with lots of air. It is the only setup I use for classical. The W6 also drives my Mad Dogs decently, but not quite as well as my vintage Sansui 881 receiver. I think the Mad Dog orthos need more juice.

I found the tonal balance of the HD650 very suitable to classical (rolled off sub-bass to accentuate top end). When I tried the LCD2 for classical I ran clear out of juice at the big orchestral peaks and could not come to a conclusion with my current setup WRT the LCD2 and classical...in that instance with insufficient power to drive the LCD2 correctly - the HD650 came out on top in a purely tonal balance sense.

why does everyone always mention their cable being made out of silver?

silver is only like 8% more conductive than copper, and considering how freakin' expensive it is, I doubt the cables are 100% silver. which means even if the cable is 50% silver, which i really doubt, that means it's only 4% more conductive than copper for a HUGE price premium.

the only things I can think of that a cable could improve, is to add shielding from noise, and keep capacitance down. but silver as the conductor? snake-oil!

but back on the subject: are there any non-gimmick regular cables for the hd650 out there that aren't 10ft long like the ones it comes with? I'm tired of having ten miles of cable on my desk.

You could check in on Ebay, contact this seller, he is a member here, and tell him what you want, and he may make it for you. http://www.ebay.com/sch/wjernst/m.html?item=111278048908&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 This is the one I bought from him August of last year and love it. Custom Sennheiser HD-580, HD-600 and HD-650 7 Foot Cable (#111149853321) never gets caught under foot, and the connector and cable look great..and for $49 dollars was simpler and quicker than a diy cable.

In other news.. I've been rolling my 12BH7s into the Crack and goodness.. what a combo. Generally speaking, they're less laid back than most of the 12AU7s I have.. and technically speaking, the 12BH7s are superior in nearly every respect. The 650's simply love the Tungsram E80CC and CBS-Hytron 12BH7s I'm using right now!

I totally agree FlySweep. Love my 12bh7's over all my other driver tubes, and that is without having tried the resistor mod that PB recommends for this tube. Maybe I'll give it a go some day, but I hate to try and fix what aint broke and to preclude switching in a 12au7 every now and then.